Classics of Chinese Literature · Journey to the West

Author: Wu Cheng'en
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: The most prominent artistic feature of Journey to the West is its humor. Although the novel still revolves around the story of Tang Sanzang's pilgrimage to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures, within this established framework, it is filled with diverse and heterogeneous content, revealing a rebellious spirit akin to that of children. In the novel, everything is secularized, and the author uses worldly experience and psychology to depict and observe this world of gods and buddhas. By secularizing the gods and buddhas, the author occasionally casts them in disrespectful ridicule and satire, which, to some extent, alleviates their mystery and sanctity, creating a fundamental style of the novel that blends solemnity and humor. Additionally, the formation of the humorous effect relies on the characteristics of the characters created in the work, namely the unity of their animal nature, divine nature, and human nature. Sun Wukong embodies the agility, restlessness, and love for showing off of a monkey, possesses the divine abilities of 72 transformations and flying on clouds, and also demonstrates the perseverance of a religious devotee.